Apertured article and protective cover therefor

ABSTRACT

An apertured article, for example, a toroidal foam rubber cushion suitable for use in an infant&#39;&#39;s head rest or the like, is protected by a cover which includes four sheets of formable material, for example, a textile such as woven cotton fibers, each having a shape conforming to the cross-sectional configuration of the article in a principal plane therethrough, for example, an annulus for a toroidal article. First and second of the sheets are joined at their peripheral edges to define a first enclosure for the article. Third and fourth of the sheets are joined at their peripheral edges to define a second enclosure for both the article and the first enclosure. The two enclosures defined by the joined pairs of sheets are joined serially, completely to enclose the article while leaving the aperture therethrough accessible. The joined sheets form a cover having a unitary structure which can be applied to and removed from the article without the use of buttons, fasteners or the like.

United States Patent 1191 Mathews 1111 3,848,281 1451 Nov. 19, 1974 1 1APERTURED ARTICLE AND PROTECTIVE COVER THEREFOR [76] Inventor: Dixie I.Mathews, 4502 Abbott St.,

Apt. 104, Dallas, Tex. 75205 22 Filed: Jan. 23, 1974 1211 Appl. No.:435,726

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Rowe 150/54 B Wallace 5/339Levi 5/339 Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Assistant Examiner-Andrew M.Calvert Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Clegg, Cantrell & Crisman [5 7 ABSTRACTAn apertured article, for example, a toroidal foam rubber cushionsuitable for use in an infants head rest or the like, is protected by acover which includes four sheets of formable material, for example, atextile such as woven cotton fibers, each having a shape conforming tothe cross-sectional configuration of the article in a principal planetherethrough, for example, an annulus for a toroidal article. First andsecond of the sheets are joined at their peripheral edges to define afirst enclosure for the article. Third and fourth of the sheets arejoined at their peripheral edges to define a second enclosure for boththe article and the first enclosure. The two enclosures defined by thejoined pairs of sheets are joined serially, completely to enclose thearticle while leaving the aperture therethrough accessible. The joinedsheets form a cover having a unitary structure which can be applied toand removed from the article without the use of buttons, fasteners orthe like.

11 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures APERTURED ARTICLE AND PROTECTIVE COVERTHEREFOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Thepresent invention relates to covered articles and, more particularly toarticles having apertures formed therethrough and provided withprotective covers.

2. Description of the Prior Art v The prior art, for example, C. L.McLean US. Pat. No. 3,141 ,l'79, discloses the use of head rests orpillows having apertures formed therethrough which permit a personreclining sideways to rest his head on the pillow with his earprojecting into the aperture. An accoustical passageway formed in thepillow and communicating with the aperture permits the user to hearequally well with both ears while reclining. It has also been determinedthat pillows or cushions having apertures formed therethrough aresuitable for protecting various parts of invalids. Head rests formedwith receiving apertures can be beneficial with regard to the case ofsleeping or reclining infants. It is well known, for example, that someinfants favor one side of the head when reclining or asleep. Permittingsuch a practice to continue unchecked can result in undesirable andsometimes permanent effects on the growth and health of the infant,particularly in the formation of the ears and the head. In some cases,these effects have been permanent and do not disappear as the infantmatures.

Additionally, apertured head rests of the type described are beneficialwhen administering physiotherapeutic treatments to paraplegics orotherinvalids while they are reclining on massage tables or the like.These tables are frequently provided with apertures, permitting apatient undergoing a treatment to lie face down with his or her facialbreathing apparatus projecting into the aperture while the treatment isadministered.

In the above exemplary situations, it is desirable to provide someadditional protection for the user of the apertured head rest. This isparticularly important in the case of infants, since some head rests maycontain materials which could prove harmful to the infant or which couldsuffocate the infant should the infant bite into the head rest and'thematerial become lodged in its throat. Protection is also important forhygienic and sanitational reasons in that the head rests may absorbperspiration, moisture, and other bodily discharges, together with theirattendant bacteria. This protection may be afforded by providing thehead rest with a cover which can be cleaned and replaced periodically.

A cover for an apertured head rest should completely enclose all theexposed portions of the head rest while permitting the user access tothe aperture therethrough to obtain the therapeutic benefits of theapertured head rest and the hygienic and sanitational benefits of thecover. The cover should not be provided with buttons, zippers or thelike, to prevent an infant user from swallowing the former or injuringitself on the latter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention toprovide a new and improved cover for an article having an apertureformed therethrough.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved cover for an apertured article not require the use of fastenersor the like to implement its use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved cover for an apertured article which may be easily applied toand removed from the article.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved head rest including a cushion element formed with an aperturetherethrough and a cover for the head rest which is of unitaryconstruction and completely encloses the cushion element while leavingthe aperture therethrough exposed.

A cover for an article having an aperture formed therethrough, embodyingthe principles of the present invention, may include four sheets offormable material each sheet being shaped in accordance with thecrosssectional configuration of the article in a principal planetherethrough. The sheets are paired to form two enclosures by connectingfirst and second of the sheets and third and fourth of the sheets attheir peripheral edges. The enclosures are serially connected to form acover of unitary construction whereby the first enclosure encloses thearticle and the second enclosure encloses the article and the firstenclosure completely to enclose the article while leaving the aperturetherethrough accessible.

If the article is a cushion element, the combination of the article andcover defines a head rest or the like which is particularly suited tothe comfort and care of infants.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING A complete understanding of theinvention will be obtained from the following detailed descriptionthereof, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of one embodiment of an aperturedarticle provided with a protective cover in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the article of FIG. 1 without the cover;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the covered article of FIG. 1 taken alongthe lines 33 thereof;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the cover of FIGS. 1 and 3, showing themanner in which four annular sheets of formable material are joinedtogether to form the cover;

FIG. 5 shows the annular configuration of the sheets comprising thecover of FIG. 4; 4

FIGS. 6 through 9 illustrate schematically two exemplary methods bywhich the cover of FIG. 4 may be applied;

FIG. 10 is a table of approximate dimensions for four sheets forming thecover for a given size of article of FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a head rest or pillow covered withplastic material which may be utilized with the cover of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. l2, l3, l4 and 15 illustrate four exemplary alternativeembodiments of covered head rests in accordance with the principles ofthe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown a headrest 20 which includes a toroidal cushion 21 made of resilient material,for example, foam rubber or an expanded plastic, formed with an aperture22 therethrough, en-

' closed by a cover 23 which is preferably of a supple and flaccidmaterial, for example, a textile material such as woven cotton fibers.As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the cover 23 completely encloses the cushion21 but allows the user access to the aperture 22.

The head rest 20 may be used advantageously for the comfort, health andbeauty of an infant, preventing the ears of the infant from bending orturning up and .preventing distortion on the lateral portions of theinfants head when the infant is reclining sideways with its eardepending into the aperture 22. The head rest 20 also provides for theprotection of the posterior portion of the head of an infant recliningon its back, with the back of the head resting in the aperture 22,preventing the posterior portion of the head from being flattened. Inaddition, danger of so-called crib death from suffocation issubstantially eliminated by the apertured construction of the head rest20.

The cover 23 provides a sanitary, hygienic and absorbent unitarycovering for the cushion 21, preventing material exuded from the body ofthe user, with its attendant bacteria, from being absorbed by thecushion 21.

Referring to FIG. 4, the cover 23 includes four sheets of formablematerial 26, 27, 28 and 29, having shapes in agreement with thecross-sectional configuration in a principal plane through the cushion21, shown in FIG. as being annular for a cushion having a toroidalshape.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inside circumferential edges 31 and 32 ofthe sheets 26 and 29, respectively, may be flat hemmed. Additionally,suitable trimming 33 might be added to the edges of 31 and 32 of thesheets 26 and 29, respectively, and the sheets may have designs thereonin order to render a more pleasing appearance for the cover 23. Thesheets 26 and 27 are paired by joining them together at their peripheraledges, for example, by sewing them together, forming a circular seam 34.Similarly, the sheets 28 and 29 are joined together at their peripheraledges to form a circular seam 36. The paired sheets 2627 and 28-29 arejoined together at their interior edges forming a circular seam 37.

The cover 23 therefore comprises two coaxial compartments or enclosures38 and 41. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the sheets 26 and 27forming the enclosure 38 are smaller than the sheets 28 and 29 formingthe enclosure 41, such that the enclosure 41 is slightly larger than theenclosure 38. This permits the enclosure 38 to enclose the cushion 21,and permits the enclosure 41 to enclose both the cushion 21 and theenclosure 38 to form a relatively smooth covering on the cushion 21 withthe seams 34 and 36 being relatively co-planar in the principal plane ofthe head rest as shown in FIG. 3. I

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, two exemplary methods which may be employedto initiate covering of the cushion 21 with the cover 23 areschematically illustrated.

Referring to FIG. 6, the cushion 21 may be inserted initially within theenclosure 38. This is easily accomplished since the cushion 21 is madeof resilient material. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the cover 23may be turned inside out and disposed within the aperture 22 formed inthe cushion 21 such that the cushion 21 lies between enclosures 38 and41, which are merely the enclosures 38 and 41, respectively, turnedinside out.

If the starting position for the covering operation is that shown inFIG. 6, the enclosure 41 is collapsed by collapsing the sheets 28 and 29and is pushed through the aperture 22 formed in the cushion 21 such thatthe cushion 21 is covered inside and outside completely around by thecombination of the sheets 26 and 27 forming the enclosure 38 and part ofthe enclosure 41' adjacent thereto and lying outside the enclosedcushion 21 as shown in FIG. 8.

If the starting position for the covering operation is as shown in FIG.7, it is necessary merely to pull the sheets 26 and 27 around thecushion 21 to enclose it within the enclosure 38, again as shown in FIG.8.

Thus, regardless of whether or not the covering operation starts fromthe positions shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, the second step will alwaysresult in the configuration of FIG. 8.

Once the configuration of FIG. 8 has been achieved, the operator merelypulls the enclosure 41 over the covered cushion 21 completely to enclosethe cushion 21 in both enclosures 38 and 41, since the operation ofpulling the enclosure 41' over the covered article will result in itsturning outside in and once again becoming enclosure 41.

FIG. 10, when viewed in conjunction with FIG. 5,

lists the inside and outside diametric dimensions of each annular sheet26, 27, 28 and 29, when they are utilized to cover a cushion 21 havingan outside diameter of 7.75 inches, an inside diameter of 4.0 inches,and a thickness of 1.5 inches. These dimensions are approximate andcould be larger or smaller, depending upon the resilience andflaccidness of the material utilized in forming the sheets 26 through29.

When the head rest 20 is utilized as an infants pillow, it is preferableto cover the cushion 21 with the larger enclosure 41 applied first, andthe smaller enclosure 38 applied last. This increases the absorbency ofthe cover 23 by wrinkling the sheets 28 and 29, defining the largerenclosure 41, to present a greater depth of covering material per unitsurface area of the head rest 20. It has the additional advantage ofmaking the outer enclosure 38 tighter fitting and thus having arelatively wrinkle-free surface in contact with the infants tender skinto avoid any welts being formed thereon when the head rest is used by asleeping infant.

The enclosures 38 and 41 also may be of substantially the same sizewithout impairing their covering ability substantially, since thecushion 21 is resilient.

The sheets 26, 27, 28 and 29 alternatively may be formed from relativelyelastic material, for example, nylon, but such a relatively elasticmaterial is not preferred in a head rest intended for use by an infant,since it might be too easily removed, at least partially, providing ameans of potential suffocation.

Moreover, when the head rest 20 is intended for an infant, it ispreferable to cover the resilient foam rubber cushion 21 with a skin ofplastic film material, before applying the cover 33, to prevent thecushion from absorbing moisture and thereafter exuding an unpleasantodor should any moisture happen to penetrate through tion for the infantshould the cover 23 ever be removed. since it provides strength, andrigidity to the cushion 21 and shields the infant from the foam rubberwithin. As shown in .FIG. 11, such a cover may be formed from twoplastic sheets 46 and 47 which have the same configuration as shown forthe sheets 26, 27, 28 and 29 (FIG. and are joined together at theirinside and outside edges, for example, by sewing them together forming aseam 48. Approximate dimensions for the sheets 46 and 47, when utilizedto cover a cushion 21 having the dimensions referred to above, are alsolisted in the table of FIG. 10.

FIGS. 12 through show four covered head rests 51, 52, 53 and 54, formedwith apertures 56, 57, 58 and 59, respectively. The head rest 51 issquare and the aperture 56 therethrough is square; the head rest 52 istriangular and the aperture 57 therethrough is triangular; the head rest53 is circular and the aperture 58 therethrough is square; and the headrest 54 is circular and the aperture 59 therethrough is elliptical.

The head rest 54 of FIG. 15 is particularly suited for thephysiotherapeutic treatment of invalids. The head rest 54 may be placedon a massage table with the aperture 59 coaxially disposed over anaperture formed in the massage table to permit the patient to reclineface down on the table with his or her forehead or chin supported on thehead rest 54, to avoid possible discomfort which might arise due to animpairment of the breathing ability of the patient as might be expectedwith other types of head rests.

The head rests shown are merely exemplary and many permutations andcombinations of apertures and peripheral contours are possible. Forexample, a circular cushion may be formed with a triangular aperture,etc. The coverings for these cushions would be formed in the mannerabove described, namely, that the four sheets making up the cushion beof the same shape, generally following the cross-sectional shape througha principal plane of the article to be covered. For example, in thecover of the head rest 52.0f FIG. 12, each of the four sheets making upthe cover would be shaped as shown in FIG. 12, namely, as having asquare outer periphery and a square aperture. The same is true for thecushions of FIGS. 13, 14 and 15. The coverings for the cushions of FIGS.12 through 15 would be applied in the various manners described abovewith respect to the cover of FIG. 4.

It is believed that the function and operation of the above-describedinvention will be apparent from the foregoing description. While theinvention has been described as being particularly suitable for infantshead rests or pillows, it will be appreciated that the cover can beutilized advantageously with apertured articles other 1 than cushions,for example, coils of wire, rope or hose,

and it will be obvious that various changes and modifications may bemade therein'without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

l. A head rest which comprises: I

a cushion element formed with an aperture therethrough; and I a coverfor said cushion element comprising four sheets of formable material,each sheet having a shape generally in accordance with thecrosssectional configuration of said cushion element in a principalplane therethrough including a peripheral edge shaped in accordance withthe peripheral configuration of said cushion element and an interioredge defining an aperture shaped in accordance with the configuration ofthe aperture through said cushion element;

first and second of said sheets being joined at their peripheral edgesto define a first enclosure for said cushion element;

- third and fourth of said sheets being joined at their peripheral edgesto define a second enclosure for said cushion element and said firstenclosure;

said first and second enclosures being joined at the interior edge ofsaid second and third sheet whereby said cushion element is completelyenclosed with the aperture therethrough exposed.

2. A head rest as defined in claim 1 wherein said first enclosure islarger than said second enclosure.

3. A head rest as defined in claim 1 wherein said second enclosure islarger than said first enclosure.

4. A head rest as defined in claim 1 wherein said first enclosure andsaid second enclosure are of substantially the same size.

5. A head rest as defined in claim 1 wherein said cushion element is a'toroid and each of said sheets is generally annular.

6. A head rest as defined in claim 1 wherein said cushion element isformed with an elliptical aperture.

7. A protective cover for an article formed with an aperturetherethrough which comprises:

- four sheets of formable material, each sheet having a shape generallyin accordance with the crosssectional configuration of the article in aprincipal plane therethrough including a peripheral edge shaped inaccordance with the peripheral configuration of the article and aninterior edge defining an aperture shaped inaccordance with theconfiguration of the aperture through the article;

first and second of said sheets being joined at their peripheral edgesto define a first enclosure for the article;

third and fourth of said sheets being joined at their peripheral edgesto define a second enclosure for the article and said first enclosure;

said first and second enclosures being joined at the interior edges ofsaid second and third sheets,

I whereby the articlemay be completely enclosed with the aperturetherethrough exposed.

8. A cover as defined in claim 7 wherein said first enclosure is largerthan said second enclosure.

9. A cover as defined in claim 7 wherein said second enclosure is largerthan said first enclosure.

10. A cover as defined in claim 7 wherein said first enclosure and saidsecond enclosure are of substantially the same size.

11. A cover as defined in claim 7 wherein said sheets are generallyannular forming two serially joined generally toroidal enclosures.

1. A head rest which comprises: a cushion element formed with anaperture therethrough; and a cover for said cushion element comprisingfour sheets of formable material, each sheet having a shape generally inaccordance with the cross-sectional configuration of said cushionelement in a principal plane therethrough including a peripheral edgeshaped in accordance with the peripheral configuration of said cushionelement and an interior edge defining an aperture shaped in accordancewith the configuration of the aperture through said cushion element;first and second of said sheets being joined at their peripheral edgesto define a first enclosure for said cushion element; third and fourthof said sheets being joined at their peripheral edges to define a secondenclosure for said cushion element and said first enclosure; said firstand second enclosures being joined at the interior edge of said secondand third sheet whereby said cushion element is completely enclosed withthe aperture therethrough exposed.
 2. A head rest as defined in claim 1wherein said first enclosure is larger than said second enclosure.
 3. Ahead rest as defined in claim 1 wherein said second enclosure is largerthan said first enclosure.
 4. A head rest as defined in claim 1 whereinsaid first enclosure and said second enclosure are of substantially thesame size.
 5. A head rest as defined in claim 1 wherein said cushionelement is a toroid and each of said sheets is generally annular.
 6. Ahead rest as defined in claim 1 wherein said cushion element is formedwith an elliptical aperture.
 7. A protective cover for an article formedwith an aperture therethrough which comprises: four sheets of formablematerial, each sheet having a shape generally in accordance with thecross-sectional configuration of the article in a principal planetherethrough including a peripheral edge shaped in accordance with theperipheral configuration of the article and an interior edge defining anaperture shaped in accordance with the configuration of the aperturethrough the article; first and second of said sheets being joined attheir peripheral edges to define a first enclosure for the article;third and fourth of sAid sheets being joined at their peripheral edgesto define a second enclosure for the article and said first enclosure;said first and second enclosures being joined at the interior edges ofsaid second and third sheets, whereby the article may be completelyenclosed with the aperture therethrough exposed.
 8. A cover as definedin claim 7 wherein said first enclosure is larger than said secondenclosure.
 9. A cover as defined in claim 7 wherein said secondenclosure is larger than said first enclosure.
 10. A cover as defined inclaim 7 wherein said first enclosure and said second enclosure are ofsubstantially the same size.
 11. A cover as defined in claim 7 whereinsaid sheets are generally annular forming two serially joined generallytoroidal enclosures.